Sport?

Creamy Goodness

heya ladies,

there seems to be a wide array of topics here but rarely ones to do with sports?

i know in most people's eyes it's still considered a mans thing to partake in or to watch.

now i know that's not true, as from glancing at the KYL (know your loungers thread) that we have people here who are interested in everything from the "common" sports like rugby/soccer/etc. to the more "obscure" like weight-lifting/motor cross/etc.

but i'm interested in everyone else, who interested in sport? do you just watch or do you partake? the more weird and wacky the sport is the better, think tiddleywinks etc. :pac:

also do you think that the separation of sport based on a persons sex or even based on their sexuality (e.g. there are gay rugby leagues for people who were unaware) is a good or bad thing?


suppose i'll do myself first,

i used to be into sports big time when i was in my early teens. played basketball and rugby for my school and played softball outside of school, but due to an accident on the rugby pitch when i was 14, i was out for the guts of 2 years, then junior cert and leaving cert got in the way and ever since i got into college i've had no time for it anymore, also i was told to stay away from sports that inflicted high impact on my knee joint (where i was injured) so that pretty much ruled out a lot of what i did. i kinda wish i could still do sport, i tried to take up rowing about 2 years ago but my knee started to flare up again

Morgase

I'm not very much into sport myself, wasn't even into running around much as a child even. I'm not sure if it's because I'm just that way naturally, or if it's because of being cosseted and wrapped in cotton wool by well-meaning parents!

Actually now I think of it, I was very interested in soccer as a teenager - but always just watching it, never playing it. In school the big thing was basketball but I hated it; far too much exertion involved. I'd be wheezing like an old man after two minutes.

Today I have almost no interest in sport but I do like playing pool when I'm on holidays! Watching darts is fun too. I spend an awful lot of my spare time playing computer games though - I suppose that takes care of the competitive urges without having the wheezy chest!

metaoblivia

I love watching most big sporting events, like the Olympics (summer and winter), the World Cup, or any of the major American sport league finales (baseball, American football, basketball, etc - although I rarely watch during the regular season). I'll never turn down tickets to a sporting event, even if I'm not that crazy about the sport (like basketball).
My favorite sport is gymnastics. I'm kind of a gymnastics nerd. I follow all the competitions, major and minor, know all the top competitors, all the rules, etc.. I've been known to travel long distances to watch a meet, and I have friends from all over the world - Germany, the UK, Australia, China, Romania, Russia - that I met through gymnastics. I did gymnastics when I was younger, but I wasn't any good. I was always injured and too tall for the sport.
I don't do any organized sports, unless pilates counts. I have a genetic joint condition that rules out any contact sports/sports that have a high injury rate (like gymnastics ) or sports that involve a lot of running. I keep in shape through walking, cycling and swimming, but my fear of commitment and club fees keeps me from joining anything official. I did consider taking sailing lessons a few weeks ago, but prices were astronomical!

hunnymonster

I do quite a bit of sport (marathons, ultras and ironmen) but rarely watch sport.

I think the point about gender in sport in Ireland is a really interesting one. I'm a mediocre athlete but I do well in races here and in the UK because women don't tend to do my sports here but when you bring in the continental europeans and especially the north americans I'm further down the field. It's more normal for continental women to take part in sport than Irish women. It's a gross over-simplification, but in Ireland, there is defianately anundercurrent of "I'll diet and walk myself to fitness" rather than a more rounded approach of taking part of sport. Of course this doesn't apply to everyone but It's something I never experienced when I lived abroad.

Malari

I am very interested in sport, but I suppose I go to that specific forum for discussions on it, rather than a ladies only discussion.

rainbow kirby

I run 4-5 days a week, and I try and get swimming one day a week too. I did martial arts for 11 years though, but haven't really trained in a few years. The niggling injuries from TKD were really starting to stack up by the time I stopped training, then just never really got back into it once they healed.

I don't watch an awful lot of sport, but I will watch the odd soccer, rugby or GAA match. I love watching the Olympics when it's on though, particularly athletics, swimming and gymnastics.

sillyputty

I watch quite a bit of sport but mainly Rugby and Soccer. An ex really got me hooked on rugby. Problem is when i get into a sport i become obsessive and a geek about it and have to read everything about the sport and understand every rule.
I also really love tennis but only womens not mens.

metaoblivia

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

heya ladies,




also do you think that the separation of sport based on a persons sex or even based on their sexuality (e.g. there are gay rugby leagues for people who were unaware) is a good or bad thing?

missed this part the first go round!
I actually have something to say on this in regards to my favorite sport, gymnastics (so feel free to stop reading).

Gymnastics is an interesting sport in regards to gender because it's one of the only sports I can think of where the men and the women do different events. It's still gymnastics and there are definite similarities, but the men do 6 events, 4 of which focus on upper body strength (pommel horse, rings, parallel bars and high bar), and the women do 4 events, 3 of which are "leg" events (floor, vault and balance beam).
When women first began competing in gymnastics in the 1920s, they actually did the same events as the men. But in the late 1940s, the Federation of International Gymnastics (FIG) decided that "normal" gymnastics was too hard for women - it focused too much on upper body strength. So they decided to create new events for the women that they felt would emphasize a woman's strengths - namely grace, flexibility and balance. They turned the vaulting horse sideways (to make it easier), took a set of parallel bars and raised one bar to create the asymmetric bars, decided that women's floor would have music and focus more on dance elements, and created the balance beam. And for years, the FIG discouraged women gymnasts from doing skills they deemed "too difficult" (and they still do, in a way. There are several skills banned from women's gymnastics that men are allowed to perform).

The point is, when I think about this history, I think that many women today would be offended if a sporting federation decided to alter an entire sport based on gender. The changes of the late 1940s definitely reflect a certain attitude about women and sports.
However, it's very difficult for me to imagine female gymnasts doing the men's events. I enjoy women's gymnastics much more than I do men's gymnastics. So I can't say I'm completely offended because I like how things turned out.

SeekUp

That's really interesting, metaoblivia; I watch gymnastics as well when it's on, and I didn't know that the men and women used to perform the same events. I think there's something to the fact that certain events highlight upper body strength that may come more easily to men, and others that highlight flexibility, which may come easier to women. However, rather than saying that some events are "too difficult" for women, I think it might be cool to see both genders do all of the events, or kind of even them out. I don't mind it the way it is now either, although I wonder if that would naturally even the playing field.

As for me, I'd go to almost any live sporting event . . . they're usually a lot of fun, even if you have no idea what's going on. On television, I'd follow American Football quite closely, as well as college basketball -- some baseball. I used to sprint as a kid (and I was quite fast, too!), but when my upper half - uh - developed, that pretty much put an end to high-impact stuff. I can't even remember the last time I participated in a group sports activity. Then again, I tend to veer toward more individual activities, although I have high hopes for visiting the tennis courts this summer!

Lobelia Overhill

I watch equestrian sports - showjumping, eventing and dressage. I recently bought a horse and am hoping to compete at dressage and maybe showjumping. I believe I'm right in saying that equestrian sports are the only sports where women compete on equal terms with men, and frequently beat them!

I watch the summer and winter Olympics, athletics, gymnastics and ice skating. The only tennis that I watch is Wimbledon.

Madame Razz

Anything to do with the water!!!

Learning to windsurf at the mo.

No interest in watching sport on the TV apart from GAA really.

I dd play hockey and football when youner, and a bit of community games stuff.......YEARS ago though.

bnagrrl

Horse-riding 2-3 times a week
Running 5+ times a week

I want to start this bootcamp training they do in the Phoenix Park, anyone had any experience of them?

brianthebard

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

i used to be into sports big time when i was in my early teens. played basketball and rugby for my school and played softball outside of school, but due to an accident on the rugby pitch when i was 14, i was out for the guts of 2 years, then junior cert and leaving cert got in the way and ever since i got into college i've had no time for it anymore, also i was told to stay away from sports that inflicted high impact on my knee joint (where i was injured) so that pretty much ruled out a lot of what i did. i kinda wish i could still do sport, i tried to take up rowing about 2 years ago but my knee started to flare up again

read this dude;
http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055563030

barbiegirl

In my teens I played basketball, gaelic, did cross country and was a majorette. I also weighed 40% less :rolleyes:
Anyway I watch loads, gaelic (go to croker every summer), hurling (the local lads), soccer, rugby, basketball whatever is on. Do like gymnastics but hard to get the lads to watch it too.
Made contact with an old friend and she is back playing basketball, so I've decided, I'm going back!! At 33 and not having played a match since I was 18 I think it's time, for health reasons, weight reasons, and just pure fun. There is seemingly a fun league up here in Dublin and I'm going to see if there's a team I can join. Terrified but needs to be done.

RacoonQueen

Played basketball and soccer as a teenager, injuries and lack of height put a stop to that and I began to go to the gym and lift weights then I moved on to long distance running and now I may be training for my first 100 miler.

Have always been into 'soccer' to watch and I'm a MASSIVE Leeds fan, been over to Leeds 13 times this season and will be going to the playoff final if we make it. Used to love watching rugger and GAA but not big into that anymore.

Crumble Froo

played camogie passionately between ages 4/5-17. got a bad injury at 14 though, which is still an issue for me, and i never played properly (ie, 110% commitment) since then. played hurling for 4-5 years as a kid too, swam every week aged 4-12ish, did kickboxing aged 11-14 (injury forced me to stop) and trained with a few other sports teams as a kid too, though eventually, they'd clash with my camogie and i'd have to quit.

now, i have a puck around every now and again, but not in ireland, so couldnt play competitively anyway, and have taken up surfing, which i do at least twice, if not 6-7 times a week, and in hte last month have taken up skating a bit too, and skate to and from work every day (mon-wed) and to bustops/shops/town the rest of the week as i need to.

cuckoo

I played netball in school, and really enjoyed it. Then....well...hmmm....kinda drifted away from sport until a couple of years ago i joined one of the casual netball leagues in Dublin for a summer. Great fun - i'd missed the way a team sport can be so engrossing to play, i'd defo push myself a lot harder when i'm swept up in a game than i would at the gym.

Sadly, there seems to be a bit of a shortage of team sports for women after school. There's loads of men i know playing 5-a-side soccer all year round, but women just don't seem to be as into it.

I was thinking of having a look at one of the tag rugby leagues, but they seem a little bit cliquey (eg groups of people entering from companies), and, dare i say it, a lot of women appear to be doing it to meet guys. The netball league i played in before was mixed, but was very relaxed - i defo wasn't the only woman running around with a sweaty red face and a baggy tshirt! My perception of the tag rugby is that women are putting on their cutest strappy tops and a bit of makeup.... Am i wrong? Has anyone taken part in them before?

g'em

cuckoo wrote: »

My perception of the tag rugby is that women are putting on their cutest strappy tops and a bit of makeup.... Am i wrong? Has anyone taken part in them before?

I've no idea if this is the case but that's the impression I get about tag rugby too tbh...

I was generally 'active' when I was a kid and did lots of gymnastics and swimming but didn't start taking part in organised sport until I started playing hockey in secondary school... I was a goalie though so my 'activity' was still somewhat limited

Finished school, went to college, gave up sport, found the gym when I was a Postgrad, discovered I was good at lifting stuff, started to Powerlift competitively in 2007, switched to Olympic (weight)lifting in September 2008 and haven't looked back. Fully intend to keep doing this for a long time to come and have my eye on establishing a respectable name for myself Internationally.

As for the separation of the sexes, I can only apply it to my own experience: I never, or at least very rarely, trained exclusively with girls and always chose to train with the guys when I could. Girls were, to be totally blunt about it, too soft. All the faffing around and screeching when nails broke got on my nerves, and boys were faster, stronger, more of a challenge. Even now I love training alongside boys - they're so much stronger than me that it keeps the bar that I strive towards (literally!!) that much higher.

At top levels men will be faster & stronger than a woman, but at local levels there's nothing to stop girls and guys being on a par for the most part.

And I may get blasted for this but... ime guys train harder with girls around because they want to impress, girls train harder through sheer stubborness and subscribing to the "anything a penis-bearer can do, I can do better" train of thought.

Although that applies to folk who take their sport relatively seriously. Tag rugby and the like (I perceive) as being played primarily for social benefits, secondarily for health ones.

allabouteve

I played basketball for my State, I swim once a week and run daily. I surf whenever I get the chance. I've recently been out waterskiing, and I'm really liking it. I'm fairly good at most of the usual wintersports.

I'd go for a hike often, although I haven't been hill walking since I moved from Ireland last year.

In the past, and hopefully again in the future, I've kept horses and ridden daily.

omb0wyn5ehpij9

cuckoo wrote: »

My perception of the tag rugby is that women are putting on their cutest strappy tops and a bit of makeup.... Am i wrong? Has anyone taken part in them before?

I am playing in 2 tag rugby leagues at the moment, and I have just finished reffing a tag rugby league. You're impression from what I have seen is wrong. In the league I reffed, there were a few girls who were taking it a lot more serious than the guys! In this league, I didn't see any girls who "putting on their cutest strappy tops" to be honest!
That isn't saying it doesn't go on, but girls like that are definately in the minority. To one of your earlier points, some teams are made up of friends, or of people that work together, but there are also teams made up of people who don't know anybody. A friend of mine put her name down for a league on her own and there were plenty of other people in her position and the organisers of the league set up teams for all these people. So don't be letting anything like that put you off, just go for it

gowayouttadat

I find this topic really interesting. I've a massive interest in sport, always have had. Men can never get over the fact that I can sit down and have a conversation with them about soccer, gaa, rugby, basketball etc and actually know what I'm talking about. Once in a taxi, myself and my bf were discussing the premiership with a taxi driver and when we got out the taxi driver told my bf to make sure he held on to me cuz I was a good one. Surely there are more women out there who have a big interest in sport? It can't be that unusual?

I'll play anything and everything. Have played basketball, soccer and ladies football for my county. Played a bit of camoige, did a bit of horse riding, play tag rugby occasionally. The only thing I haven't really played, due to a back problem, is rugby. I'd be lost without sport. I'm currently pregnant and having so sit on the sidelines while the rest of the girls are playing away is a killer.

I think playing sports did me the world of good as a kid/teenager too. I was always quiet but always played team sports and made great friends from them. The stereotype that girls know nothing about sports and that it's a mans world annoys me. I get it all the time until I start talking and guys realise that you do know what you're talking about. If I tell someone I support Liverpool I'll generally get the response "Oh does your bf support them is that why you're into them?" or if I say I suppose Munster you just get the general bandwagon comment.

Censorsh!t

I'm not into sports like rugby and football and that, and really can't be bothered watching it.

In PE, I used really like badminton and some tennis, although I never got seriously into it, because i couldnt find any of my friends to play it with:(

I don't like anything too rough, or team sports, probably because I'm not a very social person at all, and panic about what others will think if I do something wrong (i know, silly), and I really can't stand everyone shouting "PASS IT, PASS IT!!", I get a bit panicky then.

However, I have been horse riding for the last ten years or more, and love it. I have my own pony, but I'm not really into competition, just taking life easy and enjoying it.:)

Also, although I don't get to do it often, I love snowboarding! I need a lot more practice, especially in the speed department, but I'm good otherwise.


So basically, no team sports for me! Only ones i can take my own time at.